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Hard Drive Imports to be Banned?
Arathon writes "Apparently the International Trade Commission is beginning an investigation that could lead to the banning of hard drive imports from Western Digital, Seagate, and Toshiba, among others, on the grounds that they fundamentally violate patents held by Steven and Mary Reiber of California. The patent apparently has to do with "dissipative ceramic bonding tips", which are important components of the drives themselves.
Obviously, a ban would be unthinkable, and yet the ITC has 45 days to settle on a fixed date for the end of the investigation. If the patents are found to be violated, and the Reibers do not allow those patents to be bought or otherwise dealt with, the importation of almost all hard drives would actually be ceased."
Well, at least it will give the drug smugglers something to diversify into as they try to ship contraband hard drives across the US border. Although I'm not certain how well the "body cavity" approach would work... ouch.
Never email donotemail@WeAreSpammers.com
That would be good times. The entire supply crashing, as it were, to a halt. The anguished cries of a million geeks raised in prayer. The five 250gb drives I have sitting doing nothing finally worth their weight in gold.
[ think ]
... SOLID STATE DISKS FOR EVERYONE!
Maye also 3.5" floppies, but that's just wishful thinking, eh?
I'll set up an illegal hard drive smuggling ring! I'll be rich!
It's perfect except for them Untouchables that will break open my liquor barrels looking for bootleg hard drives.
I am an IT Manager:
Oh shit, Maxtor wasn't on the list - PLEASE GOD: please don't make system builders install Maxtor drives, I have enough to worry about without the possibility of random drive failures within the next 6 months - 2 years.
I am an independent computer support engineer:
YES! I look forward to a massive jump in hard disk replacement business within the next 6 months - 2 years.
AT&ROFLMAO
Not to worry. The platters are round and hold digital media. The RIAA is bound to get involved somehow ...
Bark less. Wag more.
You hear all the time about drug runners being busted while bringing in their contraband from Mexico. If this goes through, we'll start seeing a bunch of pasty white guys busted for smuggling in Maxtors.
Who are these Right's brothers you mention? If they where right extremists I think it was the right decision to violate their patents rights right away.
I think their the guys hew think they invented the plain, though in fact it was George Ceilidh.
Guy don't know how to write Wright right.
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.
Two wrongs do not a wright make, good sir...
...and it should be known by now
You mean like this: Hybrid Drive?
No thanks, I'll just wait for my quantum computer with holographic crystal storage. In the meantime, I'm buying a thousand 160 GB Raptors before the ban hits. My ebay account is "mrintelhasallthedrives" when you need one.
ASCII tastes bad dude.
Binary it is then.
... but two wrights make an airplane!
Throw the bums out!
Encryption's been classified as munitions, so wouldn't a hard drive be classifiable too?
That depends on the velocity of the hard drive.
You must be new here(tm). That's what mod points are for.
Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
You risk extreme ridicule for:
a) having read the article
b) having read the patents
c) having a rational post concerning patents
This is Slashdot, where Chicken Little is an optimist.
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
Don't make light of his right to not write Wright right.
Run! It's a RAID!
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning